‘You’ve caught me in a moment of weakness, ma’am.’ You admit with a grimace. ‘I don’t think it’s in me to turn down that offer.’

It’s a miracle that you’re able to maintain your cool, really, considering just how manic you had been before when it came to the Four Horsemen. But could you really blame anyone for jumping into that? In the last 9 years – and particularly in the first couple of years of the war, during your wily teenage years – Kongou and her sisters had been plastered practically everywhere, hailed as the greatest hope that humanity had against The Abyssal threat. You’d bought into it, hook, line and sinker, their charisma and looks not diminishing them one bit as they did their round around the nation.

Even now, even with the warts and the gimmicks that you’d uncovered during your tenure… you’re very much that same squealing boy at the foot of your bed.

‘How kind.’

She walks ahead, flashing a small grin back to you as she places her hand on the railway, making her way down the stairs with you following right behind. As you step down onto the last stair, you turn upwards at the sound of doors opening; the place was vacant enough to give an echo – The Admiral and Vice-Admiral must have had a short discussion… whatever it was that they were talking about, anyway. The impatient clicking of heels against marble catches your attention and you see Kongou by the door, eyes narrowed from the wide toothy grin she was sporting.

‘You gonna keep a girl waiting or what?’

Fighting down a smile of your own, you move to join her.

Most of the civilians had left the area. The Army folk and the maintenance crew were the only ones with any presence left… and there were a few people on the other side of the street sorting out their handouts. You lurch forward as feel a force hit your arm.

‘So.’ Kongou smirks up at you.

>‘Why are you mobilizing independently? Aren’t you scared The Admiralty might… you know?’>‘You shouldn’t be too hard on the Vice-Admiral.’>[There’s vomit on his sweater already]>Immediately look for Tenryuu>Write-In

Your companion catches your attention, her hands on her hips as she smugly stares back up at you.

‘Yeah,’ you admit—much to her chagrin—as you give the area another scan… and find that there was still no Tenryuu in sight. Kongou scowls and narrows her eyes as she peers into your good one, to which you let out a small, nervous laugh. ‘I actually—well, I kind of dragged her along with me,’ you take a few steps forward, towards the middle of the plaza, in some way hoping it would give you a better chance of finding her, ‘that was about a couple of hours ago, I think…’

You trail off. You were being a little generous with the time there—it was closer to half a morning than anything; you hope she didn’t see fit to abandon you. It was quite late in the mid-day already… and it wouldn’t be far-fetched for her to go off and do her own thing while grumbling about your inadequacy as her immediate superior.

‘I honestly don’t know what Nagato sees in you—making a girl wait like that.’ You turn to her, a frown beginning to form upon your brow before realizing that she had made it in jest more than diatribe. The giggle practically seals your ire before it could get out of its box. ‘So… who are we looking for?’

‘Tenryuu.’ Kongou makes a knowing sound at her name. ‘I thought that she’d…’

You trail off again, stepping away from Kongou and turning yourself in place slowly. You must look quite the silly sight, you admit, a grown man spinning in a spot like some child on amusing himself, but the embarrassment is shoved at the back by worry. Tenryuu wouldn’t have just abandoned you like this—

‘Oi.’

You scream like a girl, leaping to one side as the searched party makes itself know to you, clutching two plastic bags that appeared to be filled with… something.

‘Where were you?’ You let out, your voice a little more high-pitched than you had intended.

‘Where were you?’ Tenryuu glares at you, sounding like a mother that had just reunited with her child. ‘Do you know how long I’ve waited for you? Do you know what time it —?’

She interrupts herself, her eye falling on your new companion, who waves nervously and grins toothily at your Light Cruiser.

‘YOU!’

You let out a cry to stop Tenryuu’s enrage form—bringing back memories that you’d rather not revisit—as she charges at Kongou, practically burning to the core. Kongou doesn’t move, as stiff as a board, Tenryuu’s arms opening wide like some sort of bear intending to maul its prey…

Before covering her in a tight embrace, her two bags coiling around and hitting her back in the elbows, a girlish scream of epic proportions leaving her lips.

‘Well, this was a bit of an unexpected call, actually.’ Kongou pulls back—although not without great effort on her part. ‘I’m due back on the grinder tomorrow; I already have transport arranged for me.’

Tenryuu opens her mouth, before closing it, pausing… and opening it again. They looked like a pair of schoolgirls that were having a blessed reunion, hopping in place and practically squealing. You let out a small grunt of amusement, averting your eyes… but unable to suppress the big, goofy grin that now bloomed upon your features as the scene unfolded before your eyes.

‘What are you doing here, anyway?’ Tenryuu finally manages, still clutching to her friend.

Kongou opens her mouth for a while… before sighing and offering a smile in the stead of an answer.

‘Official business.’

Tenryuu lets out a low chuckle, nodding in understanding as she took a step back, her hands on her hips as she observed her friend.

‘You gotta leave now?’

‘No, no, not now.’ Kongou hurriedly answers, frantically waving her hands. ‘Someone’ll come pick me up by this evening. I have it all arranged.’

Your Light Cruiser scratches her chin, eyeing Kongou up and down as an oddly-serene look comes upon her.

‘It’s just so great to see you. I mean, after I heard what happened to Ominato and Maizuru—I mean, I know that you made it but…’ She wipes away what you can only discern to be an imaginary tear—it was both touching and hilarious to see just how emotional Tenryuu was being over this, ‘it’s just so good to see you, Kongou. It really is.’

At Tenryuu’s sniffle, you feel something drop from your throat and into the deepest parts of your stomach.

‘Aw, you’re making me red, Tenryuu.’ Kongou digs her heels into the pavement, scratching the back of her head, her cheeks tickled pink, ‘I’m glad Yokosuka wasn’t so badly hit… Maizuru’s a no-go zone and Ominato… well, that’s left is left, I guess.’

‘Have you seen Hiei?’ Tenryuu asks, her hands aloft. ‘She’s on base too, you know.’

‘I know, but…’ Kongou bites her lip, before shaking her head and adopting her cheerful demeanor once more. ‘You know what? Forget him. I think we found ourselves an adequate gentleman to show us around for the day, yeah?’

Tenryuu waggles an eyebrow at you, as smug as can be.

‘Gentleman, huh?’

>‘Looks like the both of you have some catching up to you. Tenryuu, can I trust you to take care of our guest? (Leave)>Tag along CONSUMES ACTION POINT>Write-In

Since then, Tenryuu had unceremoniously—although not rudely or aggressively—requested you to carry her bags for her, which appeared to be a bunch of old sweaters all jumbled up in each bag. She and Kongou were chatting animatedly in front of you, excitedly exchanging details that you couldn’t make heads or tails of. It was a little surreal to see a girl that had been front and center on your poster just casually walking around in a pink jacket next to your subordinate, giggling like a schoolgirl as she occasionally threw glances back at you alongside her friend.

‘I didn’t know you were assigned to this Commander here.’ Kongou comments, looking from you to Tenryuu.

‘It wasn’t voluntary.’ Tenryuu jokes, placing her hands in her pockets. The mischievous grin that she wore told you as much. ‘I was assigned by Ooyodo to act as the Quartermaster when The Commander requested for me to join the Division. We’ve had a pretty good track record, when all’s said and done. I still have to do the part-time thing with Yuubari and Ooyodo; everyone here’s pulling double-duty. Especially after everything that happened with the Assault.’

‘I heard.’ Kongou answers quietly. ‘I read the reports… how quickly were you able to… ?’

You tilt your head, wondering what they were talking about.

‘Four days.’ Tenryuu answers, her voice taking a tired tone. ‘It doesn’t get any easier, I tell you. Ooyodo… I’m surprised she—she and Akashi—were able to hold themselves well enough for the rites.’ She pauses for a moment, her shoulders slumping. ‘She did as well as she could manage, I guess. I… I couldn’t operate.’

‘I don’t hold it against you.’ Kongou wears a sad, honest smile. ‘I don’t think I have the right to.’

A solemn grunt of amusement is shared between the both of them before they turn away from one another, slowly trudging forwards.

Neither of them say anything for a moment. You follow quietly behind them, your mind wandering back to the day of the attack; it had been raining and you were looking to leave the place with your tail between your legs; everything had happened so fast, so quickly… your stupid act of courage; your deliberation between cowardice and charging in; the Old Man crying out the futility of it all…

And a pair of jaws dragging you by the arm into the black depths of the—

Sea.

You trip over something, landing painfully on a knee.

That was a lesson to watch where you were stepping, it would seem.

‘You all right?’

You dust yourself off, looking up to Tenryuu and Kongou’s gazes.

A tight grin spreads across your lips as you accept their helping hands, getting to your feet.

‘Dandy.’

>‘So where are we headed?’>‘Kongou, where are you usually posted these days?’>[But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down]>Wrote-In

‘Kongou-san, if I may ask… where are you usually posted these days?’ You inquire, hoping to sate your curiosity. ‘I know that you don’t serve directly under a Commander or an Admiral, so… where are you stationed, really?’

You hadn’t encountered her at Ominato—despite Haruna being there you had seen no trace of her—and you knew that Maizuru had been practically destroyed. The reports had said that The Admiralty had all but moved out of the area; the town itself was decimated; flattened. You were curious as to where she could have been posted; from what The Vice-Admiral had told you, she was still active. The capacity to which she was active in, however, eluded you.

Kongou considers you, taking one of the plastic bags from your hand and tossing it over the shoulder.

‘Well, I spend most of my time at Admiralty HQ nowadays.’ She reveals. ‘They gave me an office and everything.’

You frown. That was a weird use for a Battleship that still had all her battle factors intact.

‘Weird.’

‘Sorry?’

You grumble, cursing your quick tongue.

‘No, I’m—I mean that it’s weird that you’re not on the front line or serving as an Admiral’s second or even under a Vice-Admiral. What could they want you upstairs for?’ Tenryuu eyes you, her expression unable to be fully discerned as Kongou considers your question. ‘Not that you wouldn’t be capable, of course, I don’t mean that, but… with everything that’s going on, don’t you think the front lines would be a better place for—ow!’

You rub your elbow. Tenryuu had seen fit to give you a good whack—perhaps she had perceived it as indiscretion on your part.

‘Well, I could go into detail but… let’s just say that require my talents in a more’—she grins naughtily; so much so that there’s not much differentiation in her eyes to what you had seen from Taigei of all Kanmusu—‘specific range of work.’

‘What kind of work?’

Tenryuu hits you again. She might as well adopt and baby you at this point.

‘The kind that gets Submarines on your butts if anyone so much as whispers about it.’

A trash can falls on its own down an alley.

The flash in her eyes is unmistakable; even more pronounced by the seemingly-innocent smile that she wore. You open your mouth to continue your line of questioning… only for your thoughts to catch up with you and shut it as quickly as possible. She turns on her heel to continue the journey, Tenryuu giving you a reassuring glance as the both of them catch up again, as though you had never interrupted them.

It’s not that long before you’re at the beach…

‘DON’T MAKE ME COMMIT HOMICIDE! I SAID SUICIDES!’

Where a bikini-clad Hiei was barking orders to Teruzuki and two other Destroyers, not noticing anything else around her.

‘Watch this.’

Kongou rubs her palms together before comically sneaking behind her sister for a good scare.

You sincerely hope that Kongou wouldn’t shock Hiei’s weaponry into activation and have her spray her load across the beach. It was a public setting… and there wasn’t a bone in you that liked the idea of being witness—or being liable, for that matter—KanMusu’s surprise rampage. Still… you stay still, hand on the railing and eyes forward as Kongou sneaks comically, like a cartoon character, on her oblivious sister, who was prancing back and forth—but otherwise in the same spot—as she barks commands to the KanMusu on the waves.

‘HIEI!’

Hiei screams as Kongou wraps around her belly like a boa, lifting her sister with little to no effort. You’re able to make out Hiei’s terrified face for a brief revolution as the realization comes quickly upon her just who had picked her up and spun her like a circus stunt. A few seconds pass before Kongou deposits Hiei back onto the sand… and the second of the Four Horsemen gets back up, wrapping her sister in an energetic embrace of her own, practically fumbling and blubbering as Kongou takes it all in stride. Sharing a knowing look with Tenryuu, the both of you approach the energetic sisters, still clutching one another by the arms.

‘Why’re you here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’ Hiei questions excitedly, leaning back briefly… before hugging her again. ‘I would’ve been on-site when you’d landed.’

‘It’s just a short visit.’ Kongou, for some reason or another, throws you a knowing look. ‘So how’re ya, sis?’

‘I’m—!’ She stops herself, turning to the sight of the KanMusu out at sea, signaling them to come back to shore. ‘You know me, I’ve been keeping busy. Between making sure that the gear’s up to scratch and making sure the Forces are running, I don’t really don’t get much time to myself.’

Teruzuki and the two KanMusu—who you now recognize to be Hamakaze and Nagatsuki—step out of the waters and onto the sand.

‘Captain, there’s still a lag on the turning system.’ Hamakaze holds out her arm, which makes a clicking sound. She thrusts it forward repeatedly for emphasis. ‘And the acceleration burst’s too sudden when I’m trying to make a turn; the factor’s too sudden and the stress doesn’t help any recoil.’

‘Noted.’ She pats Hamakaze on the shoulder, jabbing her thumb in the direction of a nearby tent, where you spy several civilians and some Admiralty personnel having their lunch. ‘Sort yourselves out; good job… and don’t forget to revise your Force Operation schedules.’

They trudge away, giving your respectful bows as they do so.

‘You still run Force Operations?’

‘Well, just because we’re a little bit better off doesn’t mean…’

>‘I couldn’t help but overhear. What’s the difference between a Force Operation and a Division Operation, really?’>‘Our borders still run a risk?’>[He’s nervous, but on the surface he’s calm and ready]>Write-In

‘I couldn’t help but overhear.’ You step in. The both of them towards you—once again you have to turn away that weeping pre-teen that was banging on the door to be let out. ‘I’ve never heard of Force Operations before. What’s the difference between a Force Operation and a Division Operation? I know that they fall under different categories and different leaders but… what’s the real distinction between them, really?’

Kongou and her sister share a look… before she decides to take point in the discussion.

‘Well, it’s understandable. Forces aren’t totally explained to Commanders and Vice-Admirals until they get it filed to them but I suppose a general spread on how they’re conducted isn’t against regulation.’ She crosses her arms, sharing another look with her sister. ‘The general difference between a Force Operation and a Division Operation—other than the fact that Admirals and Vice-Admirals are administrators the former and that your categorically set in the latter—is that a Division Operation has you very hands-on; a Force Operation is a field op with a KanMusu in a charge. Typically one of experience, but not necessarily.’

Hiei gestures with her hands; you realize that this was probably the most serious you’d heard from her.

‘A Force Operation covers a whole spectrum of difficulty, but the general rule is that the easiest one on deck is easier than a typical Division Operation and the hardest one is, well… it’s a lot harder to bail out of when you don’t have an Admiral or a Commander to bail you out.’

You frown.

‘Why would you conduct a Force Operation at all, then?’

They stare at you, incredulous… before Tenryuu unexpectedly steps in.

‘The lack of manpower, of course.’ She offers, her one good eye fixed upon you. ‘It may escape your notice, Commander, but you can’t just use the RAY and just utilize the Stream as you please. The stress would kill you—or in a best case scenario, render you insane. KanMusu Streams are unstable factors on their own—and we’re still not sure if the RAY makes it easier or harder on you in the long run.’

‘So a Force generally runs an Operation outside of assignment?’

‘Well, it’s still an assignment, in the most technical sense… it’s just something that falls down to us instead of you.’ Hiei shrugs nonchalantly, making a sarcastic noise. ‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like we’re trying to get something for ourselves or anything… we’re in this to win as much as you’re in it to survive.’

>‘How do you operate, then? Don’t you need a steady Stream to keep operating?’>‘Is there like a certain criteria you have to meet to be in charge of a Force? I mean… administrate one.’>‘We’re in a beggars can’t be choosers situation, aren’t we? Why not ramp up the recruitment?’>‘All right, I get it, thanks.’ (Leave)>[His arms are heavy]>Write-In

‘Mostly by ourselves.’ Kongou answers, shrugging nonchalantly, as though uncaring. ‘The Admiral or Vice-Admiral would usually just pass on a request or organize a schedule for us to rotate.’ She turns to Hiei. ‘Without the Stream or a Commander on-call, we’re stocked up on a different strand of magic to allow independent—albeit limited—combat capabilities. On paper, we can sustain these forms indefinitely—going into battle and hoping to last an hour is out of the question for a lot of us.’

‘Wouldn’t that allow for less expansion on your reserves anyway, seeing as you’re not hooked up to someone with a Stream that you’re able to utilize?’ You frown; as far as you’d been told, you were acting as a sort of battery as much as you were an on-field leader. The lack of something like as part of the nature of a Force Operation… worried you, to say the least. ‘Not to mention less power?’

Kongou crosses her arms, raising three fingers for you to see.

‘The average drop for a KanMusu going out a Force Operation is about three grades. We wouldn’t be able to operate at the maximum possible capacity for more than an hour. There are exceptions to the rule—Destroyers who have mastered Core control and the like can operate for longer periods… in theory, of course.’

‘How often are they run?’ Your brows scrunch in confusion. It was amazing that you weren’t aware of this side to the Base’s daily goings-on.

‘As often as we need, but never enough that they’d exhaust us.’ Kongou and Hiei share a look… before erupting into twin giggles. There must have been something that they were both in on. ‘Like, I run a Patrol Operation twice a week and Hamakaze runs an Expedition Force on request from The Magitek.’ Hiei shrugs, wearing a knowing grin. ‘It’s all dependent on a Base’s worries, really. So far, other than the odd poke, we haven’t really needed to run proper defensive interference… outside of what you pulled up in Ominato, of course.’

‘So there are different kinds of Operations, then. Different mission parameters.’

‘It depends on the Bases, mostly.’ Hiei sighs, looking to the sky and letting out a groan. ‘Outpost Deliveries, Expeditions for Deposits, Patrols; whatever it is that’s up on short notice, The Admiral or Vice-Admiral of the base will organize.’

‘Why wasn’t I notified again?’

‘Because it’s not your job to care or know, of course.’ Tenryuu rolls her eye, prompting you to turn towards her with an annoyed glare of your own. ‘This is explicitly Admiral and Vice-Admiral territory. The Admiralty’s operated on a need-to-know basis since forever. This isn’t something that you… well… are required to know.’

>>1274403>‘So how does one get a Force running?’>‘If we’re so behind… why not ramp up recruitment?’>‘It’s a pleasure to have had this chat with you ladies, but I have my own things to tend to, as well.’ (Leave)>[Spaghetti]>Write-In

They had been sweaty for some time, of course. What self-righteous fanboy wouldn’t be when confronted by two of his four idols? The number was small but distinguished—and you were explicitly not one of them. Hiei and Kongou had gone back to chatting with one another; to damn the point further, the shining sun above was like a daytime spotlight on the both of them.

Your knees are weak.

Kongou and Hiei must have fallen for your farce of an inexperienced, yet cool (Tenryuu:HA!) and collected Commander that was just doing his civic duty, all the while keeping the raging, angry man-child within you at bay. It was futile, of course—even the most steady of stone walls would eventually crumble against the crashing waves.

Your arms heavy.

‘Commander?’

You must have approached them on instinct alone. There was no point in holding it back now—there must have been something wrong with your eye, you had been overcome with a haze of something—something that couldn’t be stopped but could be mitigated. It wasn’t worth your dignity; not right now.

You were nervous… but on the surface you looked calm and ready.

Or not.

‘I’M A HUGE FAN! I OWN ALL YOUR MERCHANDISE! I THINK THAT YOU GUYS WERE THE COOLEST THINGS SINCE SLICED BREAD AND NOW I’VE GOT THE TWO OF YOU IN FRONT OF ME! AND YOU’RE LAUGHING! AND YOU’RE GIGGLING! AND YOU’RE JUST SO FLIPPIN’ COOL! DO YOU GET JUST HOW AWESOME THIS MOMENT IS TO ME?! YOU’RE THE REASON I TOOK FIVE AND A HALF BUSES AND QUIT MY JOB TO MAKE SOMETHING OF MYSELF! I JUST CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!’

But the words you had wanted to did not see the light of day.

Their shoulders rolled, shook, before they devolved into gratuitous laughter, dropping into a crouch and doubling over as you cursed your tongue and heard the echo of an embarrassed palm meeting a face at the back of your head. When you glanced out to sea, you could have sworn there were several beings shaking their head and swimming away, eager to not have anything to do with you. Under the shade of the tents, civilians, personnel and KanMusu alike winced and shrunk at your unrestrained display.

‘We’re honored.’

You were brought back crashing down from the stretch of cosmic embarrassment by the understanding gaze—and apologetic grimace—of your two heroes, who had their hands on their hips. Hiei had even slipped an enigmatic smile of her own.

‘Always nice to meet fans.’ Kongou winked.

And that was the story of how you had a big goofy grin, wearing a pair of freshly-kissed cheeks and a pink souvenir jacket, marching down the street with an embarrassed Tenryuu in tow.

‘Yer’ an’ embarrassment to the uniform.’

You turn up your nose at the comment, tutting at just how wrong she was. You weren’t wearing a uniform.

‘She’s with that Navy Specialist Lady—the Instructor.’ Tenryuu reveals. ‘They were talking about getting some training in last night, so she’ll probably be at the Practice Range.’

‘Wanna go pay her a visit?’

Tenryuu shrugs. She appeared to have no complaints with the notion.

You consider hiring a buggy, but a glance down the street at appeared to be a fender bender between two Army trucks makes you think twice. The both of you decide to hike it… or at least that was the decision that you made before a familiar screeching sound—a sound that no mortal being should be familiar with—reaches your ears. The clatter of feet and boxes is the next thing to hear, along with the dreadful, cheerful honk of the horn. The menacing face of the Old Man comes into view, his foot on the wheel and his body leaning over the wind shield.

‘Well, if it ain’t the Commander!’ He grins widely. ‘Headed somewhere?’

You can’t say no.

The words die in your throat; the heat comes to you as though from the depths of The Underworld itself, licking at your very soul. Tenryuu clutches at you like a lifeline, her eyes wide and veins popping: don’t do it. The words echo, seemingly into eternity as your body disobeys your command, your feet dragging towards The Old Man’s rumbling buggy, the pale, soulless forms of MPs and personnel getting off, clutching their only ties to the world in their bare hands.

You don’t even realize you’re in the back seat until Tenryuu holds your hand tighter than anyone had before.

‘Commander?’

‘Yes, Tenryuu?’

‘Don’t let go.’

Prior to the ride, you weren’t aware buggies could traverse the space-time continuum, drift on walls, fly faster than sub-sonic aircraft or leap building to building. Now… you were.

Tenryuu and you kiss the cement as the Old Man drives off, cackling madly.

Getting to your feet and entering the compound, you see that the base was well on its way to its former glory. Several of the facilities that had been brought into rubble from the assault were at least half erected at this point… and the principal office and administration buildings were practically done. At the very least, they looked like they looked in better condition compared to the rest of Yokosuka already. Most of the smaller tents had disappeared and the only larger ones that were left looked to be the on-site mess tents and the personnel quarters.

You even spy what looked like a RAY wreck—

You grimace.

That was your RAY wreck. It was a miracle Yuubari hadn’t brutalized you.

Tenryuu pauses mid-stride, prompting you to stop too.

‘Oi, before we see Iowa… I need to ask you something.’ Tenryuu stares at you. ‘And I want you to answer me honestly, sir.’

>‘Can it wait for later?’ (Mind)>‘Shoot.’ (Allow her)>‘The back door and front door both have their merits.’ (Joke)>Write-In

>>1275716>>‘I think she’s pretty good, pretty all right. Powerful, professional—at least to an extent, anyway.’ (Innocent)>Mostly I'm trying to be nice. You heard her talk about her dad right? I want to be like that. Except the going crazy part.

‘I think she’s a good person. At the very least… she’s at least all right.’ You shrug nonchalantly, not thinking too much of it. Tenryuu’s insinuation meant nothing to you—mostly because that you really couldn’t fault her for thinking that way, considering how things had gone down since you’d assumed Command. ‘I mean, you really can’t deny what she is on the front. She’s pretty, yeah—but as far as my interactions with her have gone, she’s shown herself as capable, steadfast and professional.’

‘How many trashy romance novels did you dive into to get that line?’

‘None.’ You chuckle, bowing and gesturing for her to take the lead. ‘Give me some credit, will you?’

She throws you a glance before taking up your offer and going on ahead, you walk up to her right, trailing slightly behind her shoulder. A burst of noise makes the both of you halt in your tracks—a helicopter was taking off from behind the RAY wreckage, hauling what appeared to be a large wooden crate. Several men and women were yelling and signaling a truck to turn in to the pad, where more men jumpsuits were jumping out, hauling tubes and tools. With the war still raging on, the peaceful surface was merely that: a front. Underneath, turmoil and desperation were still there—you don’t think they could ever truly leave.

You turn back to Tenryuu, your heart heavier and lighter at the same time.

‘I don’t have any sort of designs on Iowa.’

Your voice isn’t as firm—as soft and honest—as it was before. An underlying tone reserved for deception and misdirection had taken route. You hadn’t lied when you’d said that you didn’t have any intentions for Iowa.

Except for the part that you were keeping an eye on her for The Grand Lieutenant.

‘That much I can promise you.’

Tenryuu lets out a sigh, looking right back at you with her good eye.

‘It’s really hard for me to take that at face value when you’re sleeping with practically half the Division.’

You almost trip.

‘I’m able to separate the personal and the practice.’ You stutter, raising your hand to your collar. You quickly look around—it appeared that no one else had heard that little tidbit. ‘Consider it a developed skill.’

She smiles wryly, letting out another sigh.

‘You know, for all your bad times at the back of the kitchen…’ Tenryuu stretches, the bag in her hand almost swinging to make contact with your head. Her voice is playful, teasing. ‘You seem to have learned a lot of time being the resident yelling pole, right?’

You almost trip—again—as Tenryuu’s playful question hits you.

A little close to home, in fact.

>‘Misery builds character.’>‘I’m not book-smart, so… I guess, yeah. I did learn.’>‘The more mistakes you make… the more you know not to do in the future.’>‘I don’t wanna talk about it.’>Write-In

‘The more mistakes you make… the more you know what to steer clear of in the future.’

‘Learning through doing, huh?’

You smile—half-smile—wryly.

‘Learning through screwing up and being yelled at… and making the same mistake again five minutes later.’

Tenryuu lets out a small laugh of her own, nodding in understanding.

When you’re finally at the practice range, the first thing you hear is a volley of cannon fire.

With one quick glance to one another, the both of hurry past the battered old table and down into the range area, where you find yourself surprised by the presence of Yuubari and what appeared to be several pieces of KanMusu equipment littered along the floor. You recognize the items as the same thing that Murakumo had been hooked up to when she’d been practicing with Hiei way back when… only a lot more complicated-looking. You spy several fairies making rounds, chirping and doing flips or dancing on the top of the equipment to an audience of their peers. Cannon fire catches your attention again and you look out to the cove to see Loudmouth seated on the edge… and Iowa out on the water, the long tubes and cables hooked up to her.

Her hands were on her knees—she looked positively exhausted. Her left leg was partially submerged; she looked like she was struggling to stand on the water. Her guns, large and impressive, were out… and from here you could make out the scent of gunpowder.

‘2 minutes 35 seconds.’ Yuubari declares, stiffly but loudly. ‘Looks like the last one was just an anomaly, Miss Specialist.’

Loudmouth gets to her feet, walking towards the cross-armed KanMusu, who still had her eye on Iowa.

‘What’s the passable Operations approval period?’

‘The passable’—she eyes Loudmouth in annoyance as the woman leans in to get a better look at the stopwatch—‘is 45 percent Operating Capacity for a span of 3 hours. She hasn’t even put a dent in it.’ Yuubari takes out a notepad from her back pocket, flipping through the pages. ‘There’s a correlation between practice and production but just building up her physical stamina and resistance isn’t going to change it. It’s a miracle that she was able to last out at sea for that long… it’s not out of the question for excessive strain to have long-lasting consequences.’

Iowa steps onto land, detaching the apparatus from her gear.

‘Good afternoon, you three.’

Yuubari and Loudmouth turn to you, thoroughly surprised at your presence. Tenryuu offers a little wave of her own, marching up towards the panting figure of Iowa.

‘Thought I’d drop in for a look.’

You throw a glance at the fairies sitting on the equipment.

>‘Yuubari, what are you doing here?’>‘What’re you up to, Instructor?’>‘Iowa. Keeping busy, I see.’>Watch silently>Write-In

‘Commander.’ Yuubari gives a respectful bow, keeping a curious eye on you. ‘Surprised to see you here; I was under the impression that you and The Admiral were going to be busy the whole day.’

‘Not the whole day.’ You answer tightly, choosing to be a little discrete. ‘Just had a few things to cover.’

You look down to Iowa, who was drenched in sea water and sweat, her hands on her knees and her back hunched forwards. She could hardly make out words, never mind give a proper salute—let alone a response—to your arrival. Loudmouth gives a deep bow of her own, supporting Iowa as well as she could, bringing the taller KanMusu towards a nearby bench by the apparatus. You wince as Iowa practically drops on her bottom, her legs visibly quaking; apparently worried for her friend, Tenryuu leaves your side to help Loudmouth tend to her.

‘So what’re you doing here, then?’

Yuubari throws a glance towards the trio by the bench.

‘Your Specialist asked me to assist in Iowa’s rehabilitation. She doesn’t know much about KanMusu physiology… and I wouldn’t be a responsible Officer if I let inexperienced hands near our personnel.’ She pauses for moment, humming very slightly. ‘Ooyodo’s a little annoyed at you, by the way… you should have run it by her first before you handed in the recruitment forms for her.’

‘Sorry,’ you scratch the back of your head, a little embarrassed. Maybe you should have consulted Ooyodo before you decided on her placement… but what was done was done. Yuubari doesn’t show approval or disapproval of your actions, however, so concentrated was she on the notepad in her hand. ‘So… is she all right?’

Yuubari doesn’t answer your question, her face remaining stoic as she leafed through the notes.

You decide to let her reply on her own time. You don’t think that you were on her list of favorite people.

‘Depends what you mean by the term, really,’ she finally responds, turning away from you towards the recuperating Iowa, who you now notice had un-summoned her weaponry. ‘She’s able to walk, talk and run…but as a combatant, she’s massively handicapped. That’s why we’re here.’ Your expression becomes one of confusion as Yuubari turns towards you. ‘That’s why she asked your Specialist for help.’

‘So she can’t fight?’

Yuubari raises the stop-watch again.

‘Her current term for combat effectiveness is approximately… for 2 minutes and 35 seconds and a count of two shots with current gear settings,’ Yuubari announces almost automatically. ‘The current Operating Capacity that she’s able to achieve—under preset conditions—is approximately 20 percent on average.’

>‘How many trial runs have you done?’>‘So her condition would be similar to Yamato’s, wouldn’t it? Core damage and all that?’>‘Have you found out why she’s this way?’>‘So do you have any suggestions?’>Talk to Iowa>Talk to Loudmouth>Write-In

‘[i]You feel it too, don’t you?[/i]’ She questions you. For a moment, you wonder what she was talking about; she turns towards Iowa, who was now on her feet, performing some light stretches. ‘Even from here—even in that state, as a Commander… you can feel just how much power she has.’

You slowly nod. It was hard to ignore, really, when it came down to it. You may not have been one to scale strength, but Iowa’s signature—her presence—was as unique as anything out there. It was a strange sense to have, this little ability; easily ignored, easily overlooked… but when you went looking for it, you would always be able to find them. The inner strength, the sheer [i]power[/i] and [i]majesty[/i] that you had felt from certain KanMusu. Your mind wanders to Nagato and Kaga… burning flames, but flames that were controlled, [i]tampered[/i].

Nagato had been right to feel a little intimidated by Iowa. Her flame, her power burned brighter than either of them—save for Musashi, you’re not quite sure if there was one as wild and deadly as hers.

Neither had you felt one so caged and shackled. It felt like it had missing gaps—missing [i]pieces[/i]—that shrouded the entirety of it from your senses, but nonetheless, still powerful. It was like a hamstrung warrior.

Yes, that was it.

‘There’s a simple way to get her back up and running… but, well… it’s not an easy path. As always with the fatigue that’s afflicting her core, to restore those layers and shells to their working order would be to get them open again. Akashi must have seen that the first method was too risky or she would have suggested it in the first place.’

‘First method?’

‘Direct operation.’ She answers tightly, crossing her arms. ‘If you want to put it in human terms, it’d be something like heart surgery… but considering that it’s barely holding together as is from the trauma, there’s no way Akashi’s going to try that. Then there’s what we’re doing now.’

Yuubari scowls, if only briefly.

‘What’s wrong with this method?’

‘The core connects to everything that makes a KanMusu a KanMusu,’ She sighs, scratching the back of her head. ‘It’s kind of hoping that familiar actions kick-start the Core into full operation. It’s the safest way to do it… but it’s like rolling dice: all you can hope to do is wait for the kick.’

You nod.

‘And there’s [red]Simulated Override[/red].’ For some reason, she glares at you. ‘And if you so much as consider it, I’ll risk banishment myself.’

‘Hey, I don’t even know what a simulated override or whatever you call it is,’ You hastily back off, hoping not to draw any more of her ire—although you do think this time it’s very much unwarranted. ‘If you’re telling me that option two’s the only one to take, then fine, option two it is.’

‘I’m sorry, I…’ she shakes her head, her lips thinning into a line as she pauses, considering you for a moment. ‘Overrides are sensitive topics for KanMusu. If there’s one thing that we can’t stand…’

She trails off, but she needn’t continue anyway. Nachi’s fury over the matter had been insubordinate and righteous in its own way; she’d marched over to The Vice-Admiral to give him a piece of her mind and take a tooth or two in the process—and that anger had been second-hand. You’d had descriptions of what the Override was and just how it felt for KanMusu… but it wasn’t until now that you’d had a reminder to how strongly they had felt about the action—never mind the topic. Yuubari shifts her feet, a softened gaze taking the place of her hardened stare.

‘I’m sorry, it’s not something that I should—!’

‘Hey, it’s all right,’ You interrupt her, now a little distance away from Tenryuu and Iowa, who were talking by the edge while Loudmouth was off eating what appeared to be a banana burrito. You knew she didn’t mean anything by it.

Yuubari lets out a breath, a guilty expression coming upon her face.

‘It’s what it says,’ she answers grimly, ‘It’s a simulated Override.’

You nod, neither prompting her to continue or stopping her.

‘The theory is—hah, theory—is that by utilizing the Stream, you shock the Core’s components back into activity. On paper, it’s probably the most effective method that we have in the recovery of Core activity.’

‘And in practice?’

‘Still the most effective.’

You’re dumbfounded.

‘So the only stopping you is personal preference?’

Yuubari stays quiet for a moment. Perhaps you’d stepped over a boundary somewhere along the line.

‘You’re overlapping the Core’s trauma with another trauma. In lighter terms,’ she smirks darkly, ‘you’re effectively raping it open.’

You don’t answer her.

‘The theory behind the recovery procedure is to wrestle the Core into submission via the Override by using the Stream and the volunteer Commander’s sheer will. It’s as aggressive as you can get and it’s mostly successful… but other than the obvious implications, it comes at a great risk to the participating Commander as there’s no real bridge between the Stream and the KanMusu in question. The so-called trauma factor from the shock would prompt the Core’s components into action, activation… and poof!’ She drolly makes an explosive motion with her hands. ‘You have a fixed Core.’

That sounded simple enough.

‘There’s also a 90 percent chance that the Commander doing it kicks the bucket or goes insane.’

>>1278027>‘How does an Override kill someone?’>‘You said 90 percent.’>‘How does the Override pry the core open like that? Doesn’t it damage the… you know?’>‘Thanks for the heads-up.’ (Talk to someone else)>Write-In

‘Overrides are in nature, invasive and intrusive,’ she raises a finger to emphasize a point, to which you nod, ‘It’s not something that you can just turn off or on. The Core fights back—our souls fight back, in essence. The procedure’s very nature is to beat any sort of resistance that we have into submission and in a word, have your way with us… in a spiritual sense, of course. However, the survival of the Commander is very much dependent on the stability and strength of their own, well… mind and such and such; you know what I’m getting at.’

‘Strong will and all that, yeah.’

At her glare, you wonder if you should have just shut up and let her continue.

‘That’s the theory, of course,’ she hastily continues, ‘it’s easy to say that all you need to do is get a stronger or more stable Stream’—her voice takes a snooty quality here—‘but the truth is, the only thing that it does is give you better odds. It can be argued that whatever is within us is a world in itself… and that’s why it’s so hard for us to let anyone in.’

You nod; slowly, solemnly.

‘There was an argument from one of the Shamans that the nature of a KanMusu’s Stream—the gateway to our selves—that accepting us is a two-way street instead of a fortress that had to be torn down, and there might be a little truth in that, but I find it hard to base cold hard fact against something that flimsy. Iowa’s state isn’t that serious—it’s hampering and frustrating, yes—but using a Simulated Override to open it runs too great a risk for the returns that we get. Unless Akashi says so or if she thinks she’s pushed that much… the option’s very much off the table.’

‘You’d call it overkill?’

Despite the solemn mood, she giggles.

‘I would call it overkill, yes.’

The both of you share a look.

‘You know, I won’t push you on the topic but,’ you hesitate to continue, wondering if you’d be taken for an over-enthusiastic moron, ‘why’d you bring up the Shaman’s argument?’

‘I just thought about covering my bases,’ she scrunches her nose and crosses her arms. ‘It’s a bunch of over-emotional tripe anyway when you look at it. There’s this sort of… idea you can call it… that the Streams could connect and stabilize enough for the Core to act as the bridge instead of the Stream, but when you pick it up and hold it to reality, I doubt that it holds any water. No two people are the same—how can you expect a KanMusu and a Commander to be on the same page if you can’t even get along with everyone on-base?’

‘He should still be with the ISSF,’ Yuubari nods, ‘although you’re going to be hard-pressed to get an audience with those guys.’

‘They reclusive or something?’ You frown. You’d expected as much from the descriptions that your Division had given—silent, snobbish mystic-botherers.

‘More like they don’t like you.’

You nod again. This wouldn’t be the first time that someone had decided that you weren’t worthy of their time without you so much as showing your nose hair at them.

‘It’s nothing personal on their…’

Yuubari frowns before looking away, trailing off her words and looking thoughtful before turning her attention right back to you.

‘Well, it’s mostly nothing personal on their part,’ She corrects herself. ‘It’s just that The Admiralty and the ISSF aren’t on the best terms after the split. Right now the ISSF acts as a sort of outside party to Admiralty matters; they kind of had enough of the politicking and decided to bring the Carriers with them.’

‘I thought the Carriers join the ISSF because they didn’t get along with the rest of the KanMusu?’ You cross your arms, growing confused. The implications that Houshou and Kaga had when mentioning the ISSF had led you to believe the emancipation was a result of the Carriers and the rest of the KanMusu just not getting along more than anything else.

Of course, it did hit you that the Shamans and the Admiralty would have had their differences, but not so much that you thought that the ISSF was a whole branch of another tree.

‘Carriers and, well… the rest of us generally don’t get along—and I’d be lying if the derision between both factions wasn’t a factor, but… well, I guess you could call it a perfect storm of sorts: The Admiralty and The Shamans not wanting anything to do with each other outside of the fairies; the Carriers and the rest of the KanMusu arguing and coming to a head… a lot of things just happened at the worst possible time.’

‘If you have someone who’s well-connected to the ISSF, I suppose you could give it a try—even if I don’t see the point,’ she hangs her head, letting out a puzzled sound, ‘but as far as I can get you? No. I can probably put in a letter that you want to see him, but chances are all you’re going to get is a thousand word letter in classical language saying no.’

You actually find that funny.

‘Duly noted,’ you say with a tone of finality.

Yuubari bends over, in a slow respectful bow.

‘Now, if you’ll excuse me… I think I have to compile these numbers before we run again.’

You decide to at least have a little one-on-one with Iowa before you leave. You had come here to see how she was doing, after all. Tenryuu, sensing the mood, decides to get up and leave you to it, giving a good-natured pat on the shoulder before leaving the bench. Iowa looks up at you through her tired bangs, her face wet in a mixture of sweat and seawater; her stare is unnerving; she resembled a wounded wolf more than anything else to you right now, the shine in her eyes practically daring for you to speak.

You allow her to make the first move.

‘Commander,’ she greets—grunts, more like—before hanging her head and letting out a tired breath. ‘What can I do ya for?’

‘Nothing, really,’ you answer casually, placing your hands in your pockets as you considered her. Even from your position, she looked like a wreck; like she could use a warm bed and some hot milk. There were bags under her eyes and you could see that there were odd tears here along the edge of her clothes. ‘I just thought I’d check on how you were doing,’ you throw a casual glance towards Loudmouth, ‘and I see that you’re making full use of the facilities.’

She cracks open a tired, if honest, smile. Maybe you’d just imagined the glare—maybe it really was the fatigue that was getting to her.

‘Well, you did tell me to make myself at home.’

You wonder if you’d said those exact words.

‘If any of the other options could work, I’d take ‘em in a heart beat.’

Iowa’s words surprise you.

‘I don’t think that there’s… a price I’m not willing to cover to get back out on the sea, really,’ she begins mysteriously, her expression wistful, ‘but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to gamble my purpose along with someone else’s. If it has to be something wagered… it has to be mine alone.’

‘Yuubari said that it was because of that…’

You make a grabbing motion with both your hands, wiggling your fingers in a movement to emphasize your point, even with your almost laughable lapse in remembering the term’s name.

‘It’s a little of that, yeah,’ she admits. ‘But risking a human’s life—their mind—just for me to return to full function?’ she grins widely—it’s a little forced, a little uncomfortable, but it’s there, ‘I don’t think it’s a toll I’m willing to put my coin into.’

You find yourself at a loss of words, so you say the only thing you’re able to come up with.

‘I… I can accept—I mean, thank you,’ you stutter at her newly-found coy half-smile. ‘Thank you for… considering us.’

‘Well,’ she laughs, one hand on her hips and the other playfully jabbing into your chest. ‘You’re not so bad that you’re not worth considering.’

She makes her way to the water, the both of you giving each other one last wave as you went your separate ways.

>>1278372Can we try learning how to command better? I don't know exactly where we would go to / who could best train us though...

I just feel like all the girls are getting better at fighting and we get a little more buff... but they don't need our physical strength, they need a commander who can assess a situation and maybe give good call outs

>>1278451You're the player. You can assume that you're getting lessons on tactics on the fly; warfare and the like comes down to your decisions. I can't translate a "+1 Intellect" buff other than battlefield advantages based on your decisions.

>>1278489You can assume that you're picking things up as you do paperwork or before you drop into your bed. Ultimately, the decisions in-combat are down to what you adjudge to be the best course of action.

>>1278870All right, I'm going to go on the level with you on this because I'm tired and I'm running this quest and if you don't like how it's run, you can fuck off, okay? Because I run this for fun.

1. Coming up with the mechanics that I have for combat and the like? That was hard. I had to balance the planning of characters with discussions and what they wanted to do in order to execute their plans. THAT is the focus for the Quest. I can put a gain on something that I already have people on the other side of the screen, on the other side of the world, running their own discussion with other people from around the world. I feel like I've struck a balance here and I'm sticking to it. You want bonuses in combat and tactics? Read what's going on and decide whether and interception and the like is going to go in your favor or choose another offensive.

Your fellow players have done it well enough in the last 25 threads. I can't tell you to "read up" and "+1" your stats in intellect because the brains of the Commander? They're YOUR brains. He plans what you and your fellow players plan.

2. I'm not a chipmunk - don't demand things of me like I'm a sort of hoop rabbit. The mechanics are simplified and as they are so I can run this without me getting a headache.

3. The die used are simple GM vs Player style in terms of combat and Player vs DC in social terms. There is already another system on the social checks that I'll be experimenting with later. The workload as is is taxing and I've only recently considered a DC change on the social side. Do not see this as some kind of floodgate to dictate the whats and hows of the Quest. I've run the module, I've listen time and time again, the least you can do is not try to bloody insult me by going:

>"The MECHANIC I've read before was more creative than that"

If you low-ball me like this again, I will honestly end this quest. I'm a bloody person and I do this for fun - don't spoil it for me. If you don't like it, you can leave. It's as simple as that. When I have free time or I think things are going too simple or happy, maybe I'll put in a spike or two.

>>1283870Fair warning, we already had a huge kerfuffle over quest-relevant information and discussion being done in the Discord and not the thread, so I encourage you to keep discussion going in the thread

Despite leaning in more than two directions as to where your next destination would be… you ultimately decided that another visit to the gym would do. After all, you still had a lot of time in the day and a thought struck that you could rope in another session to add to yesterday’s surprisingly productive session. The bags in your hand swing freely as you march down the beach’s sidewalk, your Light Cruiser just a few steps behind you; you could feel her irritation and confusion from here.

You throw her a bemused glance, meeting her displeased expression head-on.

‘Yeah, why not?’

‘Because it’s only the’—she raises the watch in her hand to her face—‘barely late afternoon. Aren’t you humans supposed to do this sort of thing like… in the evenings or early mornings or something? You really gotta go and do this?’

‘Come on,’ you try to placate her. ‘It’s not like I’m planning to be there the whole day; maybe a few weights, some stretches maybe; maybe even a few minutes on the jump rope, a little—what’s with that look?’

Tenryuu snickers.

‘Maybe it won’t be such a waste of time, after all,’ she shrugs, suddenly grinning—and rather smugly, you might add. ‘I mean, it’s not everyday that you get to see your Commander try to do some jump rope.’

She hums mischievously, stepping right past you.

‘I’ve done jump rope before,’ you argue, albeit weakly. The truth was you had done jump rope before; what child didn’t have a foray in their yard skipping on a rope? However, you had also been less successful in your attempts than your confidence implied. Tasting the dirt was a common occurrence in your affair with that little activity, as were tangled legs. ‘It’s not so hard when you get a little bit of agility going.’

She throws you a flat look.

As if echoing her thoughts, a pair of soldiers let out a bark of laughter as they move past you.

‘Fine, fine,’ you roll your eye, sighing as you pick up the pace. ‘But we’re still going to the gym, and that’s that.’

‘Oh, I’m looking forward to it,’ she wears the same damnable grin, practically skipping next to you. ‘Trust me.’

Tenryuu giggles audibly… and the smug grin slowly changes into a fond smile.

‘You know, you were a bit of a chub-chub when I first saw you,’ she jabs your gut for emphasis. ‘But the last couple of weeks… you’ve really changed. What got you on this roll?’

>‘Don’t tell anyone this but… you guys changed me. Made me want to be better.’>‘Not much to do in town other than work; it passes the time.’>‘I’m a health nut at heart. My heart’s just been buried deep down.’>‘Commander’s got to look the part, doesn’t he?’>‘Don’t think that that’s any of your business, Tenryuu.’>‘Tenryuu, are you falling in love with me?’>Write-In

Watching another pair of soldiers jog on by, the thought strikes you that up until your involuntary but fortuitous turn into the driving seat of humanity’s bastion of defense, your days had consisted of you going through a cycle of sleep, work and whatever meal you could scrounge from your salary, or if you were lucky—and you were, often—the permission to take home whatever leftovers there were left from the day’s work, usually rich and thick. You would lounge around in your meager apartment, exhausted or just unmotivated, flipping through books and lying on your back while promising yourself that you’d make things better—that you’d make things change by your own hand.

It never came.

You never sought it out, despite the promises to yourself.

‘Actually, I never really bothered with myself that much until now.’

You slow down to an almost-lazy stride, your thoughts reaching back to your days prior to your KanMusu-and-paperwork-filled ones.

‘I never really saw the… point of improving myself,’ you admit, letting out a grimace. ‘Or when I did, I decided that I could put it off for another day or decide that that one time a year when I wanted a real change was enough. Then before I knew that week I decided to put off became a month a month became a season and before I knew it, the new year came along and…’

You see yourself on the floor of a messy room, raising a hand to check a watch… and just staring at the ceiling, sometimes for hours on end, waiting for your life to begin.

‘I find myself not caring and repeating the cycle again,’ you roll your shoulder, almost spitting out the words. ‘Selfish, isn’t it?’

Then they happened. Like a hurricane, things changed: there was a place that you came back to that, after so long, felt like a home; there were people—no matter what others said—that cared for you as much as you did them in return; you felt like you had to get better and better, that even if you couldn’t do it for your own sake, you had to do it for them; the moment that you’d taken your oath, things changed. The world became a stranger place; voices became clearer and your life, once so monotonous, was a chaotic scramble.

The more appropriate wording is that something was hoping to get the drop on you.

It failed… somewhat.

As fast as you can, you raise your prosthetic—at this point, an instinctive reaction—to put as much between you and the offending object. Weight comes down upon you—by your estimates, the person must have weighed at least two sacks of high-quality potatoes… and the thought comes to you that who it was, must have leapt down straight from the roof of the gym. Barely a moment passes as you feel your knees buckling from the strike coupled with the weight… and parry it, successfully, tossing your assailant away from you… and back onto the wall.

A flash of white panties makes you wonder if you’d just fallen into some sort of third-rate comic book for lonely perverts.

It’s a girl.

She’s nimble, to put it mildly.

Striking brown eyes, bristling with energy and arrogance of the worst kind, meets you for a brief instant before she practically flies over you, landing some distance from her initial landing spot—which was where you were standing—and adopting some odd pose with her hands spread out and her knee raised, her lips puffed and staring straight towards you for some reason or other. She looked pretty angry, too. You wonder if you had—?

‘WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, YOU MORON?!’

Tenryuu, in full gear, gives the girl an almighty strike with the flat side of her blade on the crown of her head, making her drop in a tearful heap, practically in tears. It hits you at that moment that this girl, clad in orange and looking no different from a high school senior… was a KanMusu.

‘As expected from Tenryuu-san, to be able to sneak up on me like that!’

Tenryuu kicks her side, glaring down distastefully at the downed young woman. Your first instinct was to stop her… but something told you that this probably wasn’t the first time things had ended up like this for her. Tenryuu scratches the back of her head, the annoyance from before returning, spreading across her features as she stared at your still-lain would-be assailant.

‘If I may ask,’ you cough, getting both their attentions, ‘why the unorthodox greeting?’

She shuffles her feet, looking positively guilty.

‘I… I just wanted to have a little fun, I’m sorry.’

Tenryuu takes point, letting out a sigh and placing a reassuring hand on Sendai’s prone form.

‘Sendai’s a little… out there,’ she begins, to which Sendai responds by turning beet red and looking away, ‘and she can get carried away sometimes, but she didn’t mean anything by it, sir, I can assure you.’

She throws a quick glance towards Sendai… and you can see her squeezing the girl’s shoulder.

‘I-I’m sorry, sir,’ she apologizes again, taking a deep bow as she whimpers, almost pathetically—it was a stark contrast to her energetic form in her introduction. She looked positively cowed now.

>‘No apologies. No harm done.’ (Forgiving)>‘You do know KanMusu have been banished for less, right?’ (Threatening)>Ignore it and go inside>Write-In

‘No apologies,’ You wave it off, showing her that there were no hard feelings. ‘No harm done.’

Sendai shifts in place before giving a formal bow of apology before leaving without another word. A part of you wants to call her back and cheer her up, but the more rational portion of your brain reasoned for you to—at least at this moment—leave her to her own devices rather than potentially make it worse. To tell the truth, she could have easily cracked your skull if she’d been off by a few degrees… or even broken your neck. Your prosthetic had, once again, kept the worse from reaching you.

Tenryuu stands by the gym door, gesturing for you to enter.

There weren’t many people—and strangely enough, the Trainer wasn’t in sight; not even in the ring. The half-dozen that were there were plainly going about their business, not paying the least bit of attention to you and Tenryuu. You make a beeline for the lockers, hoping to get changed without any further interruption. Everything was there—a fresh t-shirt, some baggy gym shorts. Depositing the souvenir jacket from Kongou into one of the compartments, you begin to change, beginning with your top. Your compatriot, now on the other side of the partition, keeps her silence… for a while, at least.

‘You know, you’re a lot more forgiving compared to the last Admiral she tried that shtick with.’

You don’t respond, fumbling with your shorts—whoever had designed the loop-and-tie for this one must have been a closet sadist. Tenryuu’s voice had been dripping with amusement and with a tinge of affection to it—albeit an affection that was laced with what you can only make out to be

‘She threw her into the brig.’

The reveal of the detail almost has you tearing your shit. You could understand being stern and no-nonsense, but for something that was rather playful in nature—although admittedly out-of-place—and to your understanding, non-malicious, it was a little too extreme of a direction to take things in.

You manage to tie your shorts up, awkward as they looked.

‘For something like that? That’s horrible,’ you comment, stepping out from the men’s side and back into the conjoining corridor.

Now face-to-face with Tenryuu again, you lead her back out to the gym floor.

‘Think of it as enforcing discipline and order. Not a lot of Commanders—let alone Admirals—are fond of letting their KanMusu just do as they please,’ Tenryuu elaborates… not that you could make sense of such logic.

‘I can see that,’ you frown, holding your arms up, ‘I just don’t see how something like that could garner a term behind bars.’

You stretch forwards, feeling the crick in your back as to try to loosen yourself up as well as you can. Tenryuu had found herself a bench to perch herself on, watching you with amusement as you tried to prepare yourself for the first stage of your strenuous—and hopefully productive—session. A few repetitions later, and you’re back in the neutral position, your hands at your side… and your shoulders hunched forward, letting out heavy breaths as you consider yourself. This had been the easy part, but for some reason you felt a lot more awkward than you did last time you did this.

‘That was riveting,’ Tenryuu comments snidely, her legs crossed and her chin resting in her palm as she watched you in amusement. ‘I’m sure that the women are queuing outside for a good look at their veritable champion.’

You roll your eyes, turning away from her. You wouldn’t have brought her here in the first place if you hadn’t prepared for a snide remark or a dozen—in that aspect she was getting almost as bad as Nachi; she was definitely above Kaga in the stakes right now, however. Dropping yourself onto the mat, you begin counting up; some push-ups would do well to get your body back into the rhythm, and even with Tenryuu here with her playful gaze and the snickering volume to match, you had confidence that you would crack ten sets of fifteen in no problem.

It’s not long before you’re flat on your stomach and spread-eagled and your nose squashed against the floor, you grumble at the injustice of your body’s limits. You barely cracked set four and were already panting for breath, your back feeling as though someone had stabbed you with jagged knives under the shoulder blades and thoroughly twisted for the sake of amusement. Tenryuu’s snickering reaches you again, but you find that you lacked the energy or the concern to chastise her. She must have had quite a kick out of this whole thing if it was so loud that you could hear it from here.

You hear a shuffle of footsteps and a pair of sneakers, well-worn and barely held together, enter your view… as well as a pair of well-chiseled legs to go along with it.

‘Keep your feet together; you’re not using them to get up,’ Tenryuu sternly chides you, glaring through her good eye. ‘If you wanna cheat yourself, go ahead. The only thing you lose is your respect for yourself.’

‘I’m doing my—!’

‘We’re not asking for your best; we’re asking you to keep going, so keep going!’

It had been at least five minutes since Tenryuu had taken over your training regime. Pressing down on your feet with all her weight, her frown and bark push you again and again; you feel the cramp in your stomach and the desire to stop going into overdrive. Nagato may have been stern, but she had also been gentle with you—Tenryuu, in comparison, had no qualms at reminding you that she didn’t have an inclination for either where it concerned you… no matter the difference in rank. Her breasts were pressed against your knees and your calves felt the strain of supporting both her and your body weight in this task.

You must have done about eighty by now.

According to Tenryuu, though…

‘TWO!’

She barks. You can hear the snickers of curious passers-by, but pay no heed to them. All you had to do was keep going here—it wasn’t their workout, it was yours. You didn’t have to pay attention to them anymore than they had to care for you; this was your time to be selfish and in it for yourself. This was your way to the top. They had theirs.

‘TWO!’

You grunt the fire out of your lungs as you pick up the pace, your pain long forgotten and the warnings from your back to cease with the torturous exercise ignored.

‘Okay, stop.’

A grunt escapes you as you fall flat on your back, catching your breath. Tenryuu stares down at you with a deeply satisfying gleam in her eyes, offering you a hand up; you take it. She mutters something as she bring you to your feet, for some reason sounding out of breath herself as she leads you to one of the vacant machines—specifically, the rowing machine. You’d never tried it before.

‘Wh-When can I stop?’ you whine, feeling the sweat pouring down your whole body. Tenryuu tilts her head, considering it.

‘It’s all on you,’ she answers mischievously. ‘But if you needed to haul someone out of a burning building and you needed a little bit more to push you over the edge… how bad would you feel that all it took would be another fifteen minutes on the rowing machine?’

You glare at her; to which she snickers, sitting down on a nearby bench and picking up a stray dumbbell to begin her own mini-workout.

‘Hey,’ she begins neutrally, her tone serious.

‘Yeah?’

‘Does a blowjob feel good for the girl too?’

The handlebar slips from your hands, snapping back with a noisy clatter.

>>1287372>‘That’s not something you want to talk about in public, Tenryuu.’>‘It’s… mainly about pleasuring the guy. A little one-sided.’>‘I… would guess so.’>‘I don’t know! Why are you asking me?’>Ignore her. Maybe she’ll blink out of existence.>Write-In

>>1287380>inb4 it devolves into a whole group conversation about "no, it depends on who's doing it", "you can get turned on, too, you know", "you'd get into a whole lot more into it if you put some emotion, you know?"

>>1287372Damn.I think we have to draw a line here. Like, wth tenryuu, time and place and howthef would I know.Something along the lines of>Soldier, you just asked your Commander in a public gym if it feels good to give a blowjob.

You feel eyes upon the both of you as you reach out for the handlebar to resume your exercise. Regaining your composure was a little hard… but otherwise achievable; you pull back on the machine, grunting as you begin clearing your head. Your first instinct is to chastise Tenryuu for such an audacious selection… but peering at her, you don’t sense that she had done so to embarrass you—the line of inquiry had, for all intents and purposes, been one of genuine curiosity, if her expression was anything to go by. Calming yourself down, you repeat that you are the adult in this situation; that this called for a mature head instead of a mad face.

‘It’s a little… one-sided I suppose,’ you reluctantly admit, your cheeks read. ‘Why do you ask?’

Tenryuu looks thoughtful for a moment, considering her answer to you.

‘Just curious,’ she replies, shrugging nonchalantly. ‘I mean, I get the basic biology of it as much as the next qualified genius’—you crack a smirk at that, despite yourself—‘but I’m kind of clueless on the emotional side of things… why would a girl wanna do that if it’s not much fun for her, I mean?’

‘It’s not totally one-sided.’

The both you turn towards a stocky woman, wiping her brow as she approached the both of you. She leans on the apparatus as she smirks at Tenryuu before turning a serious gaze towards you.

‘Girls don’t have to get off from it being totally a sexual experience,’ she smirks, nodding knowledgeably. ‘Sometimes it just gets us excited to see a guy squirm like that under our touch. I mean, personally,’ her cheeks turn a little red, ‘when I did it with my old boyfriends, it kind of got me off seeing them so lost like that. It kind of felt… empowering.’

‘I dunno,’ another voice reaches your ears, this time a male. A male that looked like he could have marched through a brick wall and come out the other side unscathed. ‘I kinda felt awkward asking my wife ta do it fer me… it kinda felt demeaning to have her on her knees and like that. I mean, I like it, ‘a course, but… ya know, it just kind of makes you think that you don’t wanna put her in that position, ya know?’

For emphasis, he makes a thrusting motion.

To your horror, the woman nods in agreement.

‘I think it’s all down to who does it and how you do it,’ another woman approaches the conversation, her leg over one barbell. She was blonde, slender and young. ‘You got to understand that it’s something you do for your man. I’m not saying it’s about everyone, but if you think you want to go that extra mile, go for it. No one’s stopping you but you.’

‘We’re not talking about that, Private. We’re talking about if it feels good for the girl.’

‘Well, I get wet about fifty percent of the time when I do it with my boyfriend.’

‘So there’s a variation in result, then?’ You question the statement, finding yourself disturbingly engrossed in the topic at hand.

‘Not so much a variation in result; it’s more of a… variation in how you do it,’ the brown-haired woman elaborates, her tone tentative. She raises her fingers, counting down, ‘It can be pleasurable for both parties involved, but they have to know how to do things.’

The blonde girl nods knowingly.

‘Eye contact’s a big factor,’ She declares.

A chorus of agreement echoes through the gym.

‘Oh, definitely,’ the brown-haired woman nods sternly.

‘Makes me feel like a newlywed every time it happens,’ the large man chuckles, albeit a little guiltily.

‘I love it when she gets that pleading look in her eyes,’ the shirtless man from the ring grins, puffing his chest.

The other three—and Tenryuu—stare at him, the blonde woman rolling her eyes in response.

‘Sadist,’ the brown-haired woman shakes her head. If the shirtless man showed any guilt for the declaration, he didn’t show it.

‘Hey, don’t knock it until you try it, Corporal,’ he grins widely, crossing his arms over his chest. The brown-haired woman, the Corporal, responds with a flat look before stretching overhead, casting her gaze back towards Tenryuu.

‘I don’t have one, but to stay on topic, it’s really dependent on a lot of things,’ the brown-haired woman continues, looking thoughtful despite the coarseness of the subject at hand. Save for the fact that you were effectively talking about how women derived pleasure by performing oral ministrations on male genitalia, it was quite civil a discussion, really. ‘A bad blowjob can turn things bad for you and your man pretty fast.’

The man from the ring grimaces, shivering visibly.

‘Scraping teeth,’ he raises his hands—the blonde woman doubles over, giggling, while the brown-haired woman grimaces at his words. ‘If you haven’t had one of those kind of screw ups, consider yourself lucky. Just breaking skin my butt…’

You stop your exercise, instinctively placing your hands over your groin in solace of the shirtless man’s experience. A look of understanding passes between you and the three men… and for one strange moment you feel like you have some kind of camaraderie built up, even if none of you had had so much as five minutes of company between each other. The blonde woman catches everyone’s attention, turning up her head and harrumphing loudly.

‘Well, sometimes it’s not the girl’s fault, you know,’ she snootily declares. ‘You know how hard it is to gauge size with your mouth?’

‘Bigger’s easier,’ the brown-haired woman puffs up one side of her cheek—very likely with her tongue. ‘But not always. ‘Small ones fit but you gotta be more… dainty.’

>‘Good to know.’ (Immerse yourself)>‘And this is where I draw the line.’ (Leave)>Leave quietly>Write-In

‘Good to know,’ you nod. To your surprise, you find yourself absorbing quite knowledge… even if it was about the subject of fellatio; Tenryuu herself was listening tentatively to the tales of the gym patrons—soldiers—as they weighed in on the subject.

‘I still find it hard to believe that a girl can achieve orgasm from just sucking on…’ he trails off, looking puzzled. ‘My thing—our things—you know what I’m talking about. Not like there’s anything in your mouth that turns you on, right? No sweet spot there.’

The Corporal lets out a frustrated grunt while the blonde woman slouches forward.

‘Not all gratification is sexual—sometimes you just feel good at making someone else feel good,’ she clarifies, practically glaring at this point. It must have taken something out of her to keep explaining what was effectively the same thing over and over again. ‘Your wife probably does it more from the fact she thinks she can please you with it than she thinks she can get off on it; her getting turned on is just a bonus.’

‘That makes it one sided, though,’ the shirtless man points out. ‘If she’s not getting off from it, then there’s an argument there that it’s a little selfish, right? To ask for one?’

‘There is an argument for that,’ the brown-haired woman nods. ‘But there’s also a saying…’

She trails off as the rest of you hang on her every word.

‘However the both of us enjoy it is none of your business now, is it?’

A stunned silence permeates the room, before a series of light chuckles erupt from the blonde woman and the shirtless man. The matter settled, the small discussion departs, the few that didn’t take part in the raunchy topic of discussion just shaking their heads in disapproval. Tenryuu, to her credit, became a lot more quiet as she—to your amusement—looked to dwell on the recent acquisition of this new span of knowledge. You decide to keep at your rowing exercise—another fifteen minutes in mind, you get to it.

A sudden pat on the back as you move to begin your exercise has you looking up to see the friendly face of the large Army soldier.

He bids you a friendly farewell, moving to the exit to tend to the rest of his day.

By the time you’re done by your exercise, however, more people had arrived to make use of the facilities.

Exhausted but otherwise fulfilled—although admittedly not as much as you were yesterday—you hit the showers, which, incidentally, were filled with several other men singing tenor as a badly-cobbled group. After washing yourself off and donning your clothes, feeling fresher than before, you and distinctly more silent Tenryuu exit the gym, ready to tackle the rest of the day.

Neither you nor Tenryuu had much to say on your way back to the barracks other than your announcing it as your next destination. You hadn’t inspected the kitchen for some time; while you’d plundered it for eggs and flour now and then but—and much to your own embarrassment as a former kitchen hand—you hadn’t bothered to do your own check-up on inventory. The KanMusu didn’t eat—or at least, they didn’t require to eat. Meals were a luxury to them rather than a necessity in comparison to your need to at least have a bite in the morning and the evening.

Of course, since becoming Commander, your intake had been grossly cut down from your usual share of cup noodles and quickly-fried meals.

‘Now that’s something you don’t see often.’

So close to the place that was now more home to you than the lonesome apartment of years past, you stop and turn to see Tenryuu’s fondly smiling face, staring off into a vacant lot… where several children, the oldest of which didn’t look more than 12, playing football without a care in the world. Their clothes were faded and the seams looked like they were barely being held together, but they looked like they were having the time of their lives playing; you count eight of them, kicking the ball—which you notice to be Army-issued—to each other with gusto. They were loud and without a care in the world, basking in the simple joy of a ball and each other’s company.

‘They look like they’re having fun,’ you comment, a ghost of a smile playing upon your lips. ‘It’s good to see kids being kids.’

Tenryuu doesn’t answer you, staring at the sight of their game.

‘Tenryuu?’

She almost jumps at the mention of her name.

‘Yeah, let’s get going, Commander.’

Tenryuu walks on ahead, humming peacefully; you give the game across the street one last glance… only to see one of the children—the one playing goalie—giving you an enthusiastic wave, jumping up and down.

You give the child a playful salute, hurrying after Tenryuu as soon as your hands came down again.

The warm feeling in your chest doesn’t stop swelling until you reach the door to your barracks and open it… only to discover that the lights of the entrance corridor weren’t on at all—it looked like no one was back from their excursions yet. Hurrying to the common area, you throw your bags—and Kongou’s jacket—onto the couch as you make a beeline to the pantry and freezer chest, eager to find what you were able to work with.

For the third time since you entered the kitchen, you almost lick your fingers.

‘You know, no matter how many times you pass the floor, I can’t help but feel that there’s something I should do about that apron,’ Tenryuu comments, staring at you from the couch. ‘It looks so damn weird.’

Ignoring her, you daintily pull out the twelfth—and last—strip from the bowl of the Tanaka Salt solution. The chicken had taken some time to thaw out properly, so you had attacked the vegetables first—specifically the miraculous find of untouched garlic, scallion and thyme so you could get with the auxiliary components to the meal. It may not affect their taste buds, but as a former cook, there was a degree of expectation that you had from yourself when it came to the presentation of a meal… and you’re loathe to think that all those times getting yelled at and almost being fired for general incompetency were for nothing.

There was no grill, so you had to get a little creative with the stove. The setup was almost comical and pitiful, but at least it looked like it would get the job done. The strips had already been coated… and according to the manual all you had to do was wait for it to settle. Tenryuu had been surprisingly helpful in telling you how Houshou had done things… and while she herself was clueless on meal preparations, there was at least enough to reconcile the Chef’s teachings with the small window of Tenryuu’s insight into Houshou’s own technique.

Picking up one of the strips, you rub the Tanaka Salt solution as deeply as you could into the meat. It was a little awkward to hold, like a tubular eel and slippery from the initial mix, but you manage to keep it in your hands to knead the solution your hands were wet with into the pale off-pink of the chicken. The only other person present in the common area, Tenryuu, gazes at you lazily.

‘You know, if you think you can be doing something else,’ you begin, your eye fixed on her prone form. ‘You can just go and do it if you want to—you don’t have to force yourself to be here.’

‘I’m not forcing myself to be here,’ she declares, crossing her arms over the back of the couch. ‘Don’t you worry.’

You hum in a flat tone, your lips thinning into a line as she throws a small grin in your direction.

Setting down the first strip, intending to move on to the second, hoping to get through to the twelfth before the fifteen minute mark. You were, after all, still a cook at heart—and you wouldn’t forgive yourself for slacking here. The faces of your old bosses creep from the recesses of your mind, making your mood drop by the second.

>>1289865>>1289866I hope none of you think I'm railroading Samidare being here because I kind of came to a coin toss that she and Musashi would be the only ones without any "extra work on a half day".

Nagato and Takao would be on the way back; Houshou and Kaga would be busy with the ISSF or with their friends; Murakumo, even if she were still around, would be upstairs gaming and such; Shigure would probably be in deep water and at counseling or something from the little escapade and Nachi...

Okay, I admit I forgot about Nachi.

Musashi would probably be around Yamato or Nagato, though. She doesn't seem like the type to sleep a whole day.

‘Samidare?’ You blink in surprise, not at all expecting her to be around. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Well… Hamakaze-chan and Kawakaze had other things to do and the lady at the depot… she didn’t want me around,’ you offer her an assuring smile as her shoulders drooped. ‘And the other Destroyers had things to do, so… I didn’t want to bother them either.’

She presses her fingertips against each other, embarrassedly turning her attention to the floor.

‘Even Shigure?’

‘Shigure-neechan was told to meet with the psychiatric unit,’ Samidare grumbles, digging her toe into the wooden floor. She had probably been looking forward to spending more time with her sister, too—especially after all the fuss Kaga had made about your Division being practically free for the day.

It looked like a lot of them had chosen to meet alternate endeavors, though.

‘So what have you been doing the whole day?’

She looks thoughtful.

‘Murakumo… she let me play her video games with her,’ she tilts her head, the confusion in her tone apparent. She probably hadn’t touched one in her life.

‘Did you have fun?’

You really should have been paying attention.

The meat slips right out of your hands as you squeeze too tight this time. The chicken strip moves in an arc, its destination the floor of the barracks; hurriedly, you make a dive for the offending item, landing hard on your shoulder as the strip does wet, acrobatic flips in seemingly slow motion… right before your prosthetic hand plucks it right out of the air before it could even hope to taste the old creaky wooden surface. You lay on the floor, triumphant, but otherwise in slight discomfort.

That was quite a show at making a big deal out of nothing.

‘Commander, are you all right?’

You find yourself peering at Tenryuu and Samidare’s worried gazes—the thud from your landing must have been loud and worrisome enough for the both of them to hover above your prone form on the kitchen floor, clutching at a chicken strip like your life was linked to it.

‘That was a close one,’ Tenryuu breathes out a sigh of relief. ‘I don’t think I’d like explaining to Houshou that you’d wasted food like that.’

‘Nice to know where your concerns are, Tenryuu,’ you grunt—the both of them hold you by the shoulders, bringing you to your feet. ‘Thanks, you two.’

‘Commander, are you all right?’ Samidare repeats, earnestly gazing up into your eyes as you deposit the strip with its prepared siblings.

‘I’m fine. Just a little… over-dramatism on my part.’

Tenryuu snorts. You don’t chew her out for it.

‘Um…’ she peers curiously to the fixed-up stove to the assortment of home-made seasoning. ‘Are… you making dinner?’

‘Yes, I am,’ you declare, perhaps a little too proudly.

‘Can I help?’

>‘Of course you can.’ (Let her help out)>‘I can manage, Samidare. I’m almost done, anyway.’ (Finish it off yourself)>Write-In

‘Of course you can. Just make sure to wash your hands before you begin handling anything,’ you respond, pushing the bowl of untended strips towards her. ‘Do you know how to apply Tanaka Salt?’

Samidare discards her gloves before shaking her head.

Feeling a smile bloom along your lips, you pick up a piece of chicken.

‘Well…’

It doesn’t take long to teach her how to apply the liquid form of Tanaka Salt to the strips. Samidare was all thumbs, but she grasps the knowledge of handling it fairly quickly, even if she didn’t quite get the details right on the timing of bringing them out—perhaps it was the benefit of being a KanMusu that made her at ease with what she was working with. And the fact that she didn’t need a gulp of water to recover from a reflexive lick of the stuff on her fingers. Steering her wasn’t hard—she wasn’t a child that needed her hand held—but getting into the more technical bits proved to be a bit tricky to her on how the seasoning worked and how it applied; as while the concept of taste wasn’t an alien thing to Samidare, the fact that they could only taste salt handicapped you a little when it came to going into the finer terminologies of food preparation and grilling.

You had to admit, however, her eager bouncing form as you turned the strips in the small stove fire was nothing short of adorable.

‘Are they done yet?’ she looks up to you, eyes sparkling. ‘Are they done?’

Using a fork, you drag the an offending piece to the edge of the makeshift grill, scrutinizing it thoroughly.

‘I believe we are.’

Looking at the clock, it was about the same time you usually got back.

Which meant they would be returning soon, too.

Tenryuu, who had been watching with amusement the whole while, pick out a large plate from the top cabinet, helpfully handing it over to you. Turning off the flames, you deposit the strips onto the plate—now held by Samidare.

The sound of footsteps reach your ears and your turn to see Murakumo stretching and scratching as she entered the common area.

‘Eh?’ Murakumo rubs her eyes as she approaches the humming Samidare, her jaw going satisfyingly slack at the sight of a plate of hot grilled chicken strips.

You hear a door opening down the hall.

‘We’re back!’ you hear a voice—Takao’s voice—and the sound of several shuffling feet as Samidare sets the meal on the table, the both of you sharing a smile. Sure enough, a haggard-looking Heavy Cruiser steps into the common room, flanked by Shigure (who looked as though she had been put through the ringer herself) and Nagato, who had Musashi in tow carrying what appeared to be an assortment of files and stationery.

You say the only thing that comes to mind, grinning loudly alongside Samidare, the scent of freshly-grilled strips catching onto their noses:

Thought a little about a changed response system for players. Instead of you (mechanic) providing core sentences, players should do that, but you can provide the basic style of player reaction.Example:Nagato is flaming our ass for poor paperwork.>[meek]>[assertive]>[rager]

So if a player chooses >[rager]he'll have to provide a write in sentence for the response.>Shut it cunt, you are now also responsible for division paperwork.

Easier than raw >write-in but harder (more engaging?) than what you currently offer.

>>1292782That's what the write-ins are exclusively for. My options are just simple go-tos rather than obligations, but if there are others that are considering this as a sound method of progression, I'll consider it and will give it a trial run.